Cigars or cigarettes



April 20, 1965 M. SIEGENHEIM 3,179,112

CIGARS 0R CIGARETTES Filed July 27. 1961 //v l/EN TOR By MAX 5/56 E NHE/M' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,179,112 CZGARS 0R CTGARETTES Mair Siegenheim, Tusculum, Ascona, Tessin, Switzerland Filed duly 27, 1961, Peer. No. 127,268 (Iiaims priority, application Switzerland, Aug. 15, 1960, 9,249/611 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-111) The instant invention relates to small rolls of tobacco used for smoking, commonly known as cigars and cigarettes depending broadly on whether the tobacco roll is covered by a wrapper of tobacco or one of paper.

An object of the invention is to subject the tobacco smoke, passing through the cigar or cigarette when smoked, to increased filtering action by increasing the condensation of the smoke and simultaneously removing health detrimental components therefrom.

For this purpose, filter mouthpieces have been generally used in the past which are intended to retain the health detrimental components or tobacco smoke, particularly nicotine and the tars.

As is well known, when smoking a pipe nicotine and tar products collect in the lower portion of the bowl, particularly at the junction thereof with the pipestem. This is attributable to the lesser cross-section of the bore of the stem as compared to that of the combustion surface area of the tobacco, whereby the smoke drawn therethrough is concentrated and dammed at such junction, resulting in intensive condensation of the smoke gases and concentration of the nicotine and tar products therein contained. in cigarettes, and most cigars, however, the area through which smoke is drawn is substantially, or well nigh, as large as the combustion area and hence there is no appreciable concentration of the smoke gases or of their harmful ingredients.

The instant invention overcomes these disadvantages of cigars and cigarettes in that in the region of the mouthpiece thereof a constriction is provided to produce a damming or obstructing effect on the how of smoke therethrough.

The invention and its objects will be more clearly understood from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof as applied to cigarettes having filter mouthpieces when read in conjunction with the sole figure of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the cigarette It! is provided with a tobacco filler 12. disposed within a paper wrapper or sleeve 11, the said sleeve also housing a filter 13 in contact with the filler and a hollow truncated conical insert, the narrow top end of the insert contacting the downstream end of the filter. The larger base of insert 14 is a tight fit, as is filter 13, in sleeve 11 the larger base being displaced somewhat forwardly of the mouth end of the sleeve. Filter 13 extends only to the open top of insert 14; the aperture through the latter thus decreases the cross section through which the cigarette smoke may be drawn from the combustion surface into the smokers mouth. Thus a hollow region 15 is formed about the conical insert and beyond the filter. The region of the sleeve surrounding the hollow region 15 is provided with small lateral ports 16 through which, on smoking the cigarette, and the resulting suction eifect, fresh cool air can enter. By the cooling effect of the cool fresh air, increased condensation of the smoke constituents is produced directly in filter 13 itself.

In the above described illustrative embodiment, the constriction means are positioned at or in the filter mouthpiece. The damming conical insert can obviously be BJUZQJEZ Federated Apr. 2%, 1965 utilized with exactly the same effect, in the end region toward the smokers mouth of filterless cigarettes and be disposed in the tobacco per se at such region. So also, the illustrative embodiment may be incorporated in cigars of all kinds, such as cigarillos or stumps, With or Without mouthpieces, and with. the same effect.

The instant invention is based on the recognition that in cigars or cigarettes, of which, as is known, the smoke drawing or suction area is substantially the same as the combustion area, a good deal more air is sucked therethrough than is required for adequate combustion of the tobacco. This results in a cooling of the burning zone resulting in but incomplete combustion, so that more tar products remain in the tobacco smoke. Furthermore, as the result of the unneeded air sucked through, more I heat is conducted from the combustion area into the month end of a cigarette or cigar thus preventing the condensation of the harmful components of tobacco smoke desired at such mouth end.

The above described expedient providing a decrease in the cross-sectional area of the smoke suction or drawing path very markedly decrease these defects. Furthermore, the additional improvement in the condensation of the harmful components of tobacco smoke is obtained by damming the smoke up in front, or ahead, of the filter. In View of such damming or obstruction, portions of the smoke flow along the sleeve of the mouth end of the cigar or cigarette and optimum condensation will obtain at the sleeve due to cooling by the ambient air.

What I claim is:

1. A cigarette comprising a filler of tobacco, an elongated combustible sheath open at both ends about the filler, a smoke filter having a planar base substantially perpendicular to the axis of the sheath and positioned at the mouth end region of the sheath and abutting the filler, and a restriction means in the form of a hollow truncated cone having its narrow open top abutting the month end of the filter and its base edge snugly fitted into the sheath and spaced from the mouth end of the sheath, a hollow closed region clear of both the filler and the filter being formed by the wall region of the sheath between the mouth end of the filter and the base of the cone, the sloping wall of the cone, and the mouth end face of the filter.

2. A cigarette according to claim 1 in which the wall region of the sheath between the mouth of the filter and the base of the truncated cone has ports therethrough for admitting ambient air into the hollow region.

References flirted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/ 87 Great Britain.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

MEI V N D. REIN, Examiner. 

1. A CIGARETTE COMPRISING A FILLER TOBACCO, AN ELONGATED COMBUSTIBLE SHEATH OPEN AT BOTH ENDS ABOUT THE FILLER, A SMOKE FILTER HAVING A PLANAR BASE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE SHEATH AND POSITIONED AT THE MOUTH END REGION OF THE SHEATH AND ABUTTING THE FILLER, AND A RESTRICTION MEANS IN THE FORM OF A HOLLOW TRUNCATED CONE HAVING ITS NARROW OPEN TOP ABUTTING THE MOUTH END OF THE FILTER AND ITS BASE EDGE SNUGLY FITTED INTO THE SHEATH AND SPACED FROM THE MOUTH END OF THE SHEATH, A HOLLOW CLOSED REGION CLEAR OF BOTH THE FILLER AND THE FILTER BEING FORMED BY THE WALL REGION OF THE SHEATH BETWEEN THE MOUTH END OF THE FILTER AND THE BASE OF THE CONE, THE SLOPING WALL OF THE CONE, AND THE MOUTH END FACE OF THE FILTER. 